What are your best memorization tips?

[Garga]

We're heading into 9th grade biology with a huge vocabulary list that will need to be learned.

 

This sort of memory work is tricky to me. Regular vocabulary can be used on a day to day basis and seen in books. Math is logical and you can work out why 8 x 7 = 56. There are ways to use the newly memorized information so it stays in your head.

 

But biology vocabulary feels like learning a new language. It's hard to pin down in my brain. It's hard to retain it since we don't use it all the time, like with regular vocabulary or with numbers.

 

My son and I will be learning all these biology terms together and I'd like to make it as painless as possible. We've never really done a lot of memory work as some classical educators like to do. We don't really know the tricks or techniques or games you can play to make it easy.

 

What do you do to memorize information that's hard to remember?

Edited June 30, 2016 by Garga_

[FriedClams]

Quizlet, especially if you make your own cards.

[happypamama]

When I was studying for real estate exams, which involved a lot of questions like, "What five things must be included on X Form?" and "Which of these items is not one of the six things that must be on Y Form?" where some of the things overlapped but not all, and it was a ton of info that was only important for the test, I made up a lot of little sentence nmemonics/acronyms. In fact, I've done that a lot in school, and they really help me. Twenty-five years after high school biology, I see IPMAT and immediately think, "interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, prophase."

 

I do have a ridiculously good long-term memory (it's my one superpower!), but I memorize well by closing my eyes and visualizing something, whether that's spelling words or where facts were on a page. I also used to have my mom or boyfriend quiz me orally on vocabulary words for languages, and saying things out loud helps me too. Other people need to write things, so ymmv, and try different things,

 

I'd also focus on memorizing the most important things only. Our tenth grade European history teacher said, "I'm only going to make you memorize these few dates." (It was eight or ten.). But we had to know those dates cold. I still remember those dates, although, of course, it helped that I also understand the specifics of those dates.

Edited July 1, 2016 by happypamama

[Alessandra]

I think you have to work out the learning style of each person. For example, I say things out loud, repeatedly, to learn them. As pp mentioned, quizlet is s big help, especially if you make it yourself.

 

Dd, on the other hand, is a visual learner. I went back through the photos on my phone and found how she learned bio terms hypotonic, hypertonic, and isotonic. She wrote hypotonic on a whiteboard with a big sad face for the "O." The underneath that she wrote 'nothing' also with a big sad O face. I can't remember the pic, but she can. Knowing the Greek roots of those words helps me, but not everybody, lol.

 

Btw, quizlet on mobile and computer are slightly different. The mobile has some great mix and match games. They are timed, so addictive. For a tiny amount of money, you can upgrade your quizlet so that you can add pictures.

 

Good luck!

 

I also suggest that kids think of their memorization just before going to sleep and then first thing in the morning when they get up.

Edited July 1, 2016 by Alessandra

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Hmm... there are lots of little "hacks" for biology terms, but I don't know if there's such a thing as one website that might list them all.  

 

As someone mentioned above, sometimes doing ridiculous mental associations is a handy thing to do.  For example, with DNA base pairs, trying to remember which are purines and which are pyrimidines is easy if you can remember the following: 

 

Purina dog chow is part of the AGricultural food system

Ancient Egyptians had pyramids and loved CaTs.  

 

Acronyms are great (King Phillip Came Over From Good Spain = kingdom phylum class order family genus species) and so on.  

 

Having at least a little bit of Latin can help.  

 

And then there's always (handmade) flashcards.  

[Tranquility7]

We do tons of memorization around here (in fact we will do Bio this fall, too) and this is what helps us:

 

- Rather than Quizlet, use a spaced repetition system like Anki. It is a far more efficient way to learn than traditional flashcards.

 

- Include "connection" cards, even though they may seem easy and are not in the study guide. They just help you remember the context of other cards/vocab words. For example, if you have to learn herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, producers, consumers, decomposers, autotrophs, and heterotrophs in a chapter, add an Anki question that might be something like "What are some different ways to classify organisms, and why is it helpful?

 

- Get and use a study partner. It is great that you and DS have each other to learn with, but make sure you are learning as much as he is (not just making him learn it). That will make it easier for both of you. Go through your Anki deck together each day (well, 4-5 times a week at least). As you learn the cards (particularly as you get to know them *well*, not just at the beginnning when they are new and unfamiliar), treat the cards as narration prompts. See how much info you can tell each other about the topic at hand. Then one of you peek at the answer, and if anything was missed, ask a question to the other person to prompt them for the info.

 

- Connect as you review, even if the Anki card doesn't include that connection. As you learn more, connect it to what you already know, so that you are building a web of related information. Do this in narration/conversational style with your DS. Discuss, discuss, discuss.

 

- Keep reviewing Anki cards from the old chapters as you add the new ones. This is the beauty of spaced repetition! The old cards get spaced out so you don't see them often, but they do come up often enough for you to continue to remember the info. Continue to review them, and as later chapters use that earlier info, you will be amazed at how easy it is to learn, since the earlier info is still fresh in your mind.

 

- When you are really struggling with remembering something, work at organizing the information more and see if you can figure out a pattern, or a visual cue to help you walk through the info. Creating charts, diagrams, and drawings help us a lot in recall, because it helps reveal patterns, as well as gives us a mental image we can "look at" in our heads. Sometimes I then like to put these images into Anki so we can look at them regularly to really cement them in our minds.

 

- If you still can't remember something even after working with the info to organize and connect it, set it aside and figure out a mnemonic for it. Mnemonics are great when needed, but only when needed.  :-) 

 

[almondbutterandjelly]

It would be great if you knew how you memorized best.  I didn't realize until I was in my forties that I easily memorize something if I write it down.  Oh, it could have saved me a lifetime of repeating things outloud and wondering why memory work was so painful.

 

So that's my two cents.  Try writing it down.  See if that makes it stick.

[Tranquility7]

It would be great if you knew how you memorized best.  I didn't realize until I was in my forties that I easily memorize something if I write it down.  Oh, it could have saved me a lifetime of repeating things outloud and wondering why memory work was so painful.

 

So that's my two cents.  Try writing it down.  See if that makes it stick.

 

Yes, I agree that different techniques work well for different people. Although I'd also add that, for any learner, using multiple modalities is better than using only one (even if the one you use is the "best" for you). See it, hear it, say it, write it... organize it, imagine it, etc...

[AspenSong]

Just wanted to add that you can use "spaced repetition" with Quizlet...they call it Long Term Learning and it is part of the upgrade that costs $14.95/year.  The upgrade also makes it extremely easy to add pictures and sound.

[daijobu]

I like flash cards, and I prefer the kind that uses actual notecards, especially the half size ones.

 

Learning the latin stems also helps a bit.  

[LAR]

Yesterday our DD13 competed in a Brain Bowl memory competition in Tampa. It was organized by David Farrow, Guinness Book of World Record holder in memory -  davefarrow.com.  He gave the students several tips for memorizing information, lists and numbers.  You can search youtube for videos outlining his techniques. 

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

For me, the act of writing helped me through high school and college. I would actually study for a test by searching through the material and making a mock test or study guide. Then I aced it by remembering what I wrote. Making my own flash cards helped too. High school is the age you start figuring what works for you individually and your learning style

[TX Native]

I put things to the tune of simple songs like Twinkle Twinkle, Mary had a Little Lamb, and Are You Sleeping when possible. When I rewrote notes for study, I often used different colored pens to write key words or I underlined in different colors. I took a medical terminology course in college that had funny cartoon pictures to match the medical term. For example: cardi means heart. There was a pic of a guy playing cards, then the pic changed to the man holding a human heart in his hands instead of a group of cards. If I'm in a creative mood, I try to put a funny pic in my mind related to a difficult term.